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The Social Business Forum identified enhanced communication and increased visibility as key factors for the growth of social enterprises.

EuCham - European Chamber organized the Social Business Forum 2015, providing insights on the ecosystem for social enterprises. The event attracted participants from 22 countries and hosted the exhibition of 18 organizations and NGOs active in the fields of social entrepreneurship and sustainability.

“There was a big evolution from last year’s event which was just to take a grasp of the situation. This year’s forum was an in depth journey” said Ms Zsazsa Demeter, country director of Ashoka Hungary.

EuCham president Mr Michele Orzan opened the conference by highlighting the fact that social good and profit are not mutually exclusive concepts. The Country Director of NESsT Hungary stressed the importance of an enhanced collaboration between all relevant stakeholder and in particular between the governmental sector, financing organizations, and corporations.

The chairman of PROVIDA Foundation Mr Ladislav Kossarshared shared passionately his experience on venture capitalism with the example of Centrum Svetielko, aimed to provide affordable treatments for handicapped children, helping over 190 children while creating 16 new jobs and generating EUR 19,000 a month.

The Central European University professor Mr Christopher Farkas moderated the panel addressing the critical issues in the supportive environment of social business. The solutions identified were better communicative skills, enhanced governmental support and higher visibility. The issue of financing social enterprises was discussed in the second panel, which unanimously agreed on importance of enhancing communication between the different components of the social business ecosystem.